Weeks 6 & 7: Resolution Recipes and Review

Combining weeks here. I actually forgot to post about this last week, but I did remember to cook. Life has been crazy trying to track down the last bit of insurance money we have, fighting various bills that should have been paid on and generally working and trying to breathe. But I have been cooking. Go me.

Last week we tried two new recipes, and then remade the Halibut Meunière which is a recipe we both love because it's yummy and FAST. Fast is key in our household. One thing worth nothing, thin filets are better for this than thick ones.

Oh and does anyone know how to get the fish smell out of your house after you cook dinner? It's amazing while you're cooking, but when you walk into the house on Thursday and still smell dinner from Tuesday night, not so cool. When the weather is warmer we keep the windows open, but it's still in the 30's here…

Turkey Pho


This was a pain in the butt to make, lots of little ingredients and steps. Husband was like this is not a keeper while we were cooking. Too bad it tasted awesome and kept really well. Keeper. Just don't add the noodles to the leftovers (they swell). Worth all the hands on time. So good.

Turkey and Wild Rice Salad


One thing worth noting. I picked recipes from the November issue of Cooking Light. Great idea, if you have Thanksgiving leftovers. I ended up buying really odd ingredients and having more than I actually needed (like a whole can of cranberries…in March). Anyway, this recipe is really great. I portioned it out for lunches for the week and it kept really well. I'm making it again this week (um, because I have cranberry sauce to use up). Another keeper, but I'll save this for when it's November and all the ingredients are on hand from the holiday.

Last Week
Two other recipes that are amazing, we've made them before, but I made the mistake of making out of season are Lemon-Grilled Chicken & Bulgur Salad and Moroccan Grilled Chicken with Cherry and Bulgur Salad (enlarge picture for recipe).



Notice the key word, grilled. Someone needs to tell Niki it's not summer yet. I used an indoor stovetop grille and smoked out the whole house. The dog was all Lassie and Timmy had fell in the well. Which is a lot of fun when you're cooking and being herded by a 75 pound animal. For round two I decided to bake the chicken and I ruined the dish. These will have to wait until June.

Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Olives



This was just meh. Easy to make, it didn't taste bad, but it wasn't anything wonderful. I think we'd make it again if we were in a pinch for something healthy because it was so darn quick.

Parmesan and Sage-Crusted Pork Chops


And with this recipe I can say I saved the best for last. So freaking good. And let me tell you I hate pork, pork loin, pork chops. All of it. Hate. But this was GOOD. I had left over pork in the freezer from a pot of tomato sauce (grandmas) that I had made and I needed to use it up. This recipe was quick, it was easy, it was delish. Secret is butterflying the chops and then pounding them out with a meat tenderizer. Served it with polenta and broccoli rabe (notice the trend?) dinner was ready in 30 minutes. This was even good as a leftover.